Director-choreographer Adam Shankman’s buoyant stage-to-screen translation of “Hairspray” may not equal the comic zest of its 1988 root source, John Waters’ first and still-finest mainstream feature. Nonetheless, it’s one of the best Broadway-tuner adaptations in recent years — yes, arguably even better than those Oscar-winning ones. Unpretentious, feel-good pic is low on histrionic diva wailing and MTV-style editing, high on retro movie-musical craftsmanship. Despite uneven casting among marquee thesps, it’s a real crowd-pleaser. Potential sleeper could tap not just positive word-of-mouth but also various demographics underserved by the summer’s pileup of CGI-heavy action.

Unbiased Tracy, however, wishes that “Every day were Negro Day!” When she’s sent once again to detention (“inappropriate hair height” being the usual offense), she’s delighted to find nearly everyone there is black and using their punishment time to practice hot new dance moves. She learns bump-and-grindy ones from Motormouth’s son Seaweed (Elijah Kelly), which eventually get her hired as a replacement Council member on TV.

One of the original pic’s virtues was how it made the struggle for desegregation personal, cool and morally upright without getting preachy or solemn. The musical predictably softens that approach, caving in to Broadway/Hollywood-style inspirational uplift. That, and the fact that many of the more exciting production numbers (“I Can Hear the Bells,” “Ladies’ Choice,” “Run and Tell That”) are front-loaded in the early going, makes “Hairspray” a musical that doesn’t ideally build from good to better to better-still.

Nonetheless, there’s a goodwill and esprit to the whole exercise that is hard to resist. Shankman’s prior films (“The Wedding Planner,” “The Pacifier,” “Cheaper by the Dozen 2” ) have tended to be blandly formulaic, but helmer more than rises to this occasion, maintaining the boisterous spirit of “Hairspray’s” previous incarnations and packaging it in kitsch windscreen pastels that owe more to the 1955 MGM aesthetic than to MTV. Apart from some over-frenetic editing during “Welcome to the ’60s,” helmer exhibits a former dancer’s welcome respect for letting viewers appreciate full-body motion.

It’s a small disappointment that early ’60s fad dance styles aren’t showcased as fully as in Waters’ original. But composer Marc Shaiman’s songs remain a bright homage to this pre-rock, post-roll moment in top-40 bubblegum pop, R&B and gospel. The lyrics he co-wrote with Scott Wittman are often hilarious. But perhaps “Hairspray’s” single most winning element is Waters’ original storyline, which still delights.

The kids, though, are just fine. Newcomer Blonsky is cute and spunky, and has a big voice with the right early-’60s-girl-group “tear” in it — especially in her early highlight, “I Can Hear the Bells.” Efron, Snow, Bynes and Parks all score points. But the real scene-stealer is Kelley, whose self-confident Seaweed socks across perhaps the movie’s single most dynamic number (“Run”).

Stellar tech and design contribbers make pic a sensory treat. End credits run so long they make room for four additional soundtrack selections. Waters and original Tracy Ricki Lake make cameo appearances.

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Director-choreographer Adam Shankman’s buoyant stage-to-screen translation of “Hairspray” may not equal the comic zest of its 1988 root source, John Waters’ first and still-finest mainstream feature. Nonetheless, it’s one of the best Broadway-tuner adaptations in recent years — yes, arguably even better than those Oscar-winning ones. Unpretentious, feel-good pic is low on histrionic diva wailing […]

Director-choreographer Adam Shankman’s buoyant stage-to-screen translation of “Hairspray” may not equal the comic zest of its 1988 root source, John Waters’ first and still-finest mainstream feature. Nonetheless, it’s one of the best Broadway-tuner adaptations in recent years — yes, arguably even better than those Oscar-winning ones. Unpretentious, feel-good pic is low on histrionic diva wailing […]

Director-choreographer Adam Shankman’s buoyant stage-to-screen translation of “Hairspray” may not equal the comic zest of its 1988 root source, John Waters’ first and still-finest mainstream feature. Nonetheless, it’s one of the best Broadway-tuner adaptations in recent years — yes, arguably even better than those Oscar-winning ones. Unpretentious, feel-good pic is low on histrionic diva wailing […]

Director-choreographer Adam Shankman’s buoyant stage-to-screen translation of “Hairspray” may not equal the comic zest of its 1988 root source, John Waters’ first and still-finest mainstream feature. Nonetheless, it’s one of the best Broadway-tuner adaptations in recent years — yes, arguably even better than those Oscar-winning ones. Unpretentious, feel-good pic is low on histrionic diva wailing […]

Director-choreographer Adam Shankman’s buoyant stage-to-screen translation of “Hairspray” may not equal the comic zest of its 1988 root source, John Waters’ first and still-finest mainstream feature. Nonetheless, it’s one of the best Broadway-tuner adaptations in recent years — yes, arguably even better than those Oscar-winning ones. Unpretentious, feel-good pic is low on histrionic diva wailing […]

Director-choreographer Adam Shankman’s buoyant stage-to-screen translation of “Hairspray” may not equal the comic zest of its 1988 root source, John Waters’ first and still-finest mainstream feature. Nonetheless, it’s one of the best Broadway-tuner adaptations in recent years — yes, arguably even better than those Oscar-winning ones. Unpretentious, feel-good pic is low on histrionic diva wailing […]

Director-choreographer Adam Shankman’s buoyant stage-to-screen translation of “Hairspray” may not equal the comic zest of its 1988 root source, John Waters’ first and still-finest mainstream feature. Nonetheless, it’s one of the best Broadway-tuner adaptations in recent years — yes, arguably even better than those Oscar-winning ones. Unpretentious, feel-good pic is low on histrionic diva wailing […]